§ Lord Moynihanasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they consider there is a humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Chechnya on a scale comparable to Kosovo during 1999. [HL697]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal)While we have deep concerns over the humanitarian effects of Russian action in Chechnya, unlike Kosovo, there is no evidence to suggest that the Government have: a deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing or to create a humanitarian tragedy in Chechnya.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, visited Chechnya in November, and her organisation has full access to the internally displaced people in the region. During her visit Mrs Ogata said that the humanitarian situation in Chechnya would improve with better security and an enhanced international effort. This has been borne out. Russia has provided better protection for UN agencies, and 106WA international donors have provided additional resources—the UK £1.4 million in all. In recent weeks UNHCR has estimated that up to 70,000 internally displaced persons have returned to Russian controlled areas of Chechnya from Ingushetia.